In the last three years or so, electric scooters have become popular, competing for the sidewalk with pedestrians. To some, the scooters are a nuance, to others, a life-saver. Regardless of your stand, the last thing you’d want to go through is to be injured as a result of someone else’s carelessness. When you find yourself in such a predicament, it’s important that you’re reaching out to a personal injury attorney in order to maximize compensation.
How the Electric Scooter Rental Fad Started
Some of the earliest reports of the trend go back three years ago. Scooters can greatly reduce carbon footprint, especially in populated cities where the inhabitants are heavily reliant on car transportation. There are several e-scooter rental companies that have emerged over the years. There are few cities in the US where both Bird and Lime scooters are available. Lime, for example, has had to deal with the concerns from the public about their recalled models.
Lawsuits and Reports
There have been reports of hundreds of riders and pedestrians landing in the hospital because of scooters. There are already lawsuits against some of the big brand names. In California, there are a dozen lawsuits that have been served. There are two companies that have handled more than 20 million rides. There have been more people coming up claiming that have been injured and personal injury attorneys are having to deal with a new challenge that wasn’t even a thing in the last decade or so.
Ban on Electric Scooters
Cities like Santa Monica and San Francisco have banned the use of electric scooters citing public safety concerns. There have also been criminal complaints about scooter rental companies that have been operating in the city without legal permits.
Scooter Related Injuries Starting to Pile Up
The increasing number of e-scooters across the country has seen an increase in the number of accidents. According to research done by UCLA in 2018, it was found out that 90% of people that visited the ER for scooter-related injuries were riders. Once the lawsuits started piling up, the bans soon followed. One concern with attorneys is that those that are injured in such circumstances might experience challenges prevailing in the claim. It all stems from the user-agreement that is used by scooter companies. Most such companies will absolve themselves from any wrongdoing if a rider is to get injured while using their products. The devil as they say is always in the details./
A Growing Practice For Personal Injury Attorneys?
E-scooters have already made an impact on society despite being a new phenomenon. As more manufacturers get into the business, it will mean that they’re easily available and affordable. Just as with cars there will always be the risk of accident injuries. Personal injury lawyers are definitely keeping an eye on the scooter industry. If you’ve been injured in a scooter-related injury, you’ll still want to seek legal help. For more information, you can check out https://midwestlaw.group/services/personal-injury-attorneys/
Midwest Trial Lawyers
9300 West 150th Terrace
Overland Park KS 66221
(913) 380-4004